Cooking & Travel

It should come to no surprise that Indians love spicy food, as this love is reflected in so many great Indian dishes. Not only is spicy food delicious but it is actually good for you too! It has been shown that spicy food can improve heart health, lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of cancer and help you lose weight. I recently found this article, which outlines some all-time great spicy Indian dishes, which I would like to share below.

1) Pork Vindaloo

While Vindaloo originates from Goa, India, its heavy use of vinegar and the traditional meat of pork is heavily influenced by the Portuguese in the area. There are many variations to this recipe; some serve vindaloo with chicken or lamb mixed with potatoes (although the traditional dish does not include potatoes). In Goa, the authentic vindaloo is a dry-sauce based dish, incorporating pork fat, garlic, vinegar, jaggery and Kashmiri chili.

2) Phaal Curry

This dish actually originated in Indian restaurants in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Phaal is one of the hottest Indian curry dishes available. It is a tomato-based thick curry, which includes ginger and optionally fennel seeds.

3) Laal Maas

Rajasthan, a place dominated by vegetarian cuisine, is where you will laal maas. This red hot dish is the only non-vegetarian dish to have such widespread popularity in the area. Laal maas is a thick/semi gravy mutton curry prepared in a sauce of curd and hot spices. The deep red color and the spicy flavor derives from a special chili called the Mathania red chilli from Mathania in Jodhpur.

4) Chicken Chettinad

Chicken Chettinad is one of the spiciest and most aromatic in India. The dish is extremely hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with a boiled egg that is considered an essential part of the meal. Reflecting the dry environment of the region, Chettinad uses a variety of sun dried meats and salted vegetables.

5) Kozi Kari

Kozi Kari comes from Kerala and is believed to be introduced to India by early Jewish settlers. This dish is a hot chicken curry made with a combination of hot fresh green chilli peppers and dried ground red chilli peppers. The variety of spices used in this dish make it one of the spiciest curries around.

6) Piro Aloo

Here is a vegetarian dish that everyone will enjoy, even die-hard meat lovers. While Piro Aloo actually originated in Nepal, it has become an extremely popular dish in India as well. It is essentially a Nepalese take on the Indian favorite, Dum Aloo. This dish is a little more dry than its Indian counterpart, but it is also a lot more spicy.

7) Andhra Dry Mutton

This dish is much less spicy than the others on the list, but Andhra food is absolutely amazing. It is usually complemented by rice and vegetarian dishes, making it a very balanced meal.

8) Kolhapuri Chicken

Kolhapur is well-known for its love of spices. This is a spicy, hot, exotic and real Kolhapuri chicken. This pairs very well with homemade light, fluffy, crispy jwarichi bhakri or naan. Seriously, this dish is extremely hot!